[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [Polity, law and society](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity) › [The World of Courtesans](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.chandra-1973) › c8.16 # The World of Courtesans c8.16 The World of Courtesans c8.16 - **Language:** English ### [c8.16](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.chandra-1973.c8.16) The regular list of the sixty-four arts given by Vatsyayana is of significance for it includes broadly speaking all the items which could claim inclusion within the term \*art\*. The acquisition of these arts by men and women of culture was considered highly desirable. Naturally it was impossible to acquire even a partial knowledge of all these arts even though their acquisition was considered the highest goal in a cultured society. Ordinary men and women engrossed in the drudgery of everyday life could hardly be expected to gain even a passing acquaintance with these highly specialized arts whose acquisition required time, money and a certain social status. But as these arts were supposed to be the props of Indian culture, their cultivation was entrusted to a body of men and women who were by nature and circumstances placed in a position which gave them ample time to study them. - [Previous: c8.15](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.chandra-1973.c8.15) - [Next: c8.17](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.chandra-1973.c8.17) - [Up: c8](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.chandra-1973.c8) ## Linked texts (1) - [Kāmasūtra](https://indike.org/pramana/in.niti.kama.vatsyayana) — Vātsyāyana Mallanāga, Sanskrit --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.chandra-1973.c8.16](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.chandra-1973.c8.16) · Pramāṇa